Harvard Law School faculty

Harvard Law School faculty
Name	Harvard Law School faculty
Established	1817
Type	Faculty body
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Affiliated	Harvard University
Members	"Approximately several hundred (including professors, lecturers, clinical instructors)"

Harvard Law School faculty

The faculty at Harvard University's law faculty represent a cohort of scholars, clinicians, and practitioners drawn from institutions such as Yale University, Princeton University, Stanford University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, Oxford University, Cambridge University, University of California, Berkeley, New York University, Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, London School of Economics, University of Michigan, Cornell University, Brown University, University of Virginia, Northwestern University, University of Cambridge, King's College London, McGill University, University of Toronto, Australian National University, Seoul National University, and Peking University. Many faculty members are also associated with public institutions and organizations including the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. Department of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the European Court of Human Rights, United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and leading law firms such as Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Sullivan & Cromwell, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Latham & Watkins, and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

History and Development of the Faculty

The faculty traces lineage to early 19th-century figures connected with Harvard University leadership and affiliated scholars from Harvard Law School predecessors and rival institutions like Yale Law School and Columbia Law School. Development involved exchange with jurists who served on the United States Supreme Court, including connections to Justices associated with landmark decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, Marbury v. Madison, Lochner v. New York, and Obergefell v. Hodges. The faculty expanded its research networks through partnerships with Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School, and international collaborations with Max Planck Society, Institut d'études politiques de Paris, Humboldt University of Berlin, Sciences Po, and the Centre for European Policy Studies.

Notable Current Faculty

Present faculty include scholars with ties to landmark cases, commissions, and institutions: professors who clerked at the U.S. Supreme Court, served at the U.S. Department of State, advised the National Security Council, or participated in inquiries like the 9/11 Commission and the Iran-Contra affair investigations. Current faculty have authored works interacting with publications such as Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, Columbia Law Review, Stanford Law Review, University of Chicago Law Review, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. They lecture at venues including United Nations General Assembly, World Economic Forum, TED, Brookings Institution, American Bar Association, American Civil Liberties Union, Brennan Center for Justice, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.

Emeritus and Former Faculty

Former and emeritus faculty feature judges and scholars who moved to roles at the United States Court of Appeals, United States District Court, International Court of Justice, and national governments, or who authored foundational texts cited in decisions like Citizens United v. FEC, Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., Buckley v. Valeo, and New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. These alumni include deans and professors who previously taught at Harvard Law School and later served at institutions like Harvard Kennedy School, Yale Law School, Columbia Law School, Stanford Law School, University of Chicago Law School, and Princeton University.

Academic Programs and Teaching Contributions

Faculty lead curricular offerings across degrees such as the Juris Doctor, Master of Laws, and Doctor of Juridical Science, and oversee interdisciplinary programs with Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and centers like the Harvard Data Science Initiative. Courses address subjects tied to institutions and cases like Administrative Procedure Act, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, Antitrust laws as seen in United States v. Microsoft Corp., International Humanitarian Law discussions referencing Geneva Conventions, and transnational law exemplified by Treaty of Lisbon and North Atlantic Treaty issues.

Research Centers, Clinics, and Faculty-Led Initiatives

Faculty direct clinics and centers including clinical programs that litigate matters before tribunals such as the International Criminal Court and domestic courts like the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts; initiatives collaborate with Harvard Kennedy School projects, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Center for American Political Studies, Berkman Klein Center, and external partners like ACLU litigation projects and Public Citizen. Clinics have engaged in matters related to events such as Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 attacks, and international disputes involving European Union institutions and World Trade Organization proceedings.

Appointments, Hiring, and Governance

Appointments are overseen by elected committees and administrators with input from bodies like the Harvard Corporation and the Harvard Board of Overseers, and hiring often involves searches with participation from faculty across units including Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and affiliate schools. Many hires have prior service at institutions such as Clerkships for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, U.S. Supreme Court clerkships, practice at firms like Sullivan & Cromwell and Ropes & Gray, or roles in government including U.S. Senate staff positions, ambassadorships to United Kingdom, France, Japan, and advisory roles for international organizations like the World Bank.

Awards, Honors, and Public Impact of Faculty

Faculty have received prizes such as the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, MacArthur Fellows Program grants, Guggenheim Fellowship, National Humanities Medal, and recognitions from institutions including American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Royal Society, Order of the British Empire, and appointments to bodies like the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the Legal Services Corporation. Their public impact includes participation in high-profile litigation, testimony before the United States Congress, advisory roles for the European Commission, contributions to policy debates in outlets like The New Yorker and Foreign Affairs, and involvement in international negotiations such as the Paris Agreement and multilateral treaty drafting.

Category:Harvard University